Mine ventilating apparatus



May 26, 1931. 1.. KESSLER HINE VENTILATING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 21, 1928 Patented May 26, 1931 NITED STATES LOUIS KESSLER, OF

CHICAGO, rumors MINE VENTILATING APPARATUS Application filed December 21, 1928. Serial No. 327,533.

The present invention has for its object to j produce a simple and novel apparatus by means of which noxious gases may successfully be removed from a mine, regardless of the distance of a chamber, pocket or passage from the mine shaft.

The various features of novelty whereby my invention is characterized will hereinafter be pointed out with particularity in the claims; but, for a full understanding of my invention and of its objects and advantages, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the acompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 represents a horizontal section through one level of a mine equipped in accordance with the present invention; Fig. 2 is a vertical section, on a somewhat smaller scale than Fig. 1, on a plane passing through the vertical mine shaft; and Fig. 3 is a view, partly in elevation and partly in section, on a larger scale than Figs. 1 and 2, illustrating the details of a fragment of'the apparatus.

, Referring to the drawings, A represents a mine shaft and B a passage at one of the working levels.v

In accordance with my invention, I place in the mineshaft a vertical flue 1 through which the gases to be dissipated are driven and discharged to the surrounding atmosphere or disposed of in any suitable way above the mine. A lateral pipe Qrextends from the flue into and to the remote end of the passage B. A blower 3 is placed in the pipe 2 near the flue; the construction and arrangement being such that when the blower is in operation it draws air through the pipe 2 and discharges it into the flue. The blower may be motor driven and maybe controlled by a local switch 4. d j

The pipe is providedat intervals with fit.- tings 5 to which may be attached flexible hosedevices, one of which is indicated at 6, each such device having a perforated inlet nozzle; or, where there are lateral-passages,

branch pipes, one of which is indicated at 8,

may be connected to the nearest fittings on the main pipe; The branch pipes are also provided with fittings, such as referred to above, to permit hose devices to be attached.

Some of the passages in a mine may be very long, extending perhaps a mile from the main shaft. In such event, the blower in the vicinity of the flue would not be effective to produce a sufiicient vacuum at the remote points in the passage and laterals leading therefrom, to cause the noxious gases to'be drawn into the pipe. I therefore make the collecting pipe in sections, as shown, decreasing gradually in size as the distance from the mine shaft increases; and, atintervals in this pipe, I place additional blowers of which four, indicated at 10, 11, 12 and 13 are shown. With this arrangement it is possible to create an effective partial vacuum in any pipe section by setting in operation the blower at the end of that section nearest the shaft. If desired, all of the blowers in any one collecting pipe may be caused to operate simultaneously; or, since they are preferably individually controlled, only such blowers as are needed to produce the vacuum in the section of the pipe that is to act as the collector need be operated.

The motors preferably decrease in size as the distance from the 'mine shaft increases and as the diameter of the collecting pipe decreases.

The main collecting pipes are preferably made of thin material and therefore, in order to prevent damage to a pipe in the event that I all inlets are closed and the blowers operating and producing too great a vacuum, lmeans may be provided to admit outside air into the pipe when the vacuum reaches a predetermined point. In the arrangement shown, there is only one of these safety devices, the same being placed on the suction side of the blower in the largest of the pipe sections,

similarly equipped so that collecting hose devices may be connected thereto.

While I have illustrated and described with particularity only a single preferred form of my invention, I do not desire to be limited to the exact structural details thus illustrated and described; but intend to cover all forms and arrangements which come within the definitions of my invention constituting the appended claims.

I claim 1. In an apparatus for ventilating mines, a vertical discharge flue, a long lateral collecting pipe connected to the flue, said pipe decreasing in size as the distance from the flue increases, and a plurality of blowers arranged in and distributed along said pipe, said blowers decreasing in size as the distance from the flue increases.

2. In an apparatus for ventilating mines, vertical discharge flue, a long lateral collecting pipe connected to the flue, said pipe decreasing in size as the distance from the flue increases, a plurality of blowers arranged in and distributed along said pipe, said blowers decreasing in size as the distance from the flue increases, and individual controllers for said blowers.

In testimony whereof, I sign this specification.

LOUIS KESSLER. 

